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The current official unemployment rate reported by Pakistan’s statistics bureau is 7.1% in its 2024–25 Labour Force Survey (LFS). The figure of 18,735,979 unemployed people cited in a “Digital Census 2025” headline comes instead from Pakistan’s 2023 Population and Housing Census. These are different statistics, and the census count should not be presented as a 2025 LFS unemployment rate.
What is Pakistan’s unemployment rate?
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reports an unemployment rate of 7.1% in the 2024–25 Labour Force Survey. PBS lists this as its current headline rate on its statistics page.
The separate figure of 18,735,979 is the number marked unemployed in Table 14 of the 2023 Population and Housing Census. That table also lists 66,224,342 employed people and a population figure of 171,714,532 in its population row. It is a census table, not a new 2025 labour-force survey. See the PBS Census-2023 employment table.
Why the “Digital Census 2025” headline is misleading
A TechJuice article frames the census figure as a 7.8% unemployment rate and refers to a “Digital Census 2025.” However, it also identifies the underlying material as a July 2024 Census key-findings report and reproduces a Census-2023 population total. The available figures therefore point to 2023 census data, not a 2025 census result. The reason for the article’s 2025 framing is not established by the cited sources.
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The 7.8% figure is approximately the census unemployed count divided by the article’s total-population figure of 241,499,431. That calculation uses the total population as its denominator; it is not the PBS LFS unemployment rate. The article’s figure and framing can be reviewed in the TechJuice story.
Why the census count and LFS rate are not interchangeable
An unemployment rate is not simply the number labelled unemployed divided by the country’s entire population. The source, reference period, statistical definitions and denominator matter. PBS explains that Census-2023 employment statistics used a one-year reference period and were collected to capture households’ demographic and social profile. It cautions that they cannot be compared with the Labour Force Survey, which has a more extensive scope and a different reference period.
“The employment statistics covered in Census 2023, in with reference period one year especially collected only to capture demographic & social profile of households. cannot be comparable with Labour Force Survey due to its extensive nature and the reference period.”
That is PBS’s methodological note in Census-2023 Table 14. For the headline answer to how unemployment is currently reported, use the PBS LFS rate rather than deriving a rate from the census count.
How to compare Pakistan unemployment figures correctly
When comparing figures, check that they share the same statistical basis. In particular, identify:
- Source and year: Census-2023 employment counts and the 2024–25 LFS rate come from different releases.
- Denominator: A percentage calculated against total population is not automatically an unemployment rate.
- Reference period and purpose: PBS says the census employment data were collected for a demographic and social profile, while the LFS has a more extensive labour-market scope.
- Definition: PBS’s LFS material uses 13th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) recommendations for selected headline comparisons with 2020–21, while some indicators use 19th ICLS recommendations. Like-for-like comparisons should name and retain the same basis. See the PBS 2024–25 LFS information.
For unemployment rates by province, age, sex or area, consult the detailed PBS LFS tables rather than calculating percentages from the Census-2023 count.
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